Several of us meet in what we call “Writers’ Circle.” It consists of Terry Riddell, his wife Deborah, Paula Peter, Mary Ann Klein, and myself. Occasionally Mary Ann’s husband, Joe Messina, joins us. Terry, Mary Ann, and Joe have all been full-time English faculty at Quincy University. I am a sociological deviant.
Last March I wrote a poem titled “Ferris Wheel.” It is
printed in this blog on March 31. On April 10 Joe Messina offered a poem with
my name in the title. I suggested putting it on my blog. Joe just gave me (on
August 13) the okay to do that.
Here is Joe’s poem:
80th birthday: In imitation of Joe Z’s
minimalism
first a baby cries
then it eats
it doesn’t ask
What does this breast want from me?
Before I was
there were two habits,
breathing and eating.
One day, I felt something for the people who fed me.
they didn’t scare me
they didn’t enrage me any more
what was it?
later someone told me about love
what’s that?
If I don’t know what love is
does that keep me from loving?
Socrates says we don’t know what friendship is
but that doesn’t keep us from being friends.
A pilgrim poet, whose name I forget
cried How far is it to God?
No answer
He didn’t know what else to do
so he kept on going.
Speaking of going
I have to go to the bathroom
Then I’ll get back to it.
To what?
At 80 I can’t tell my living
from my dying.
What’s happening to me?
You’re dying.
Oh.
Well, let’s not make a fuss about it.
I came noisily
but I can go quietly
The air is sweet today
and ice cream is always good
Though I don’t know what good is.
No comments:
Post a Comment